David Kary

WESTPAC OPENAIR REVEALS SUMMER PROGRAM

Sydney’s most sought-after event, Westpac OpenAir, has today unveiled a phenomenal line up of films for its summer season with a reimagined Covid-safe experience set to grace Mrs Macquaries Point from 15 December to 24 February.

The 2020/21 program will feature an extraordinary line-up of eight premieres and preview screenings over a record 69 nights, opening with the previously announced Sydney premiere of Robert Connelly’s hotly-anticipated, The Dry, a film adaptation of Jane Harper’s award-winning novel which stars Eric Bana and Genevieve O’Reilly.

Following its world premiere at Berlin International Film Festival this year, Stephen Maxwell Johnson’s thrilling drama High Ground will receive its Sydney premiere, along with the heart-warming Toronto International Film Festival selected, Penguin Bloom, starring Naomi Watts, Andrew Lincoln and Jacki Weaver.

Biographic drama Ammonite (Saoirse Ronan, Kate Winslet) and Oscar® award-winner John Patrick Shanley’s Irish drama, Wild Mountain Thyme (Emily Blunt, Jamie Dornan, Jon Hamm), will join Jessica Swale’s uplifting debut feature Summerland (Gemma Arterton), and inspiring female surf documentary, Girls Can’t Surf, as four preview screenings sure to be in high demand on the harbour.

Audiences can also look forward to seeing some of their favourite classics on the big screen with Love Actually, Almost Famous, Thelma & Louise, The Devil Wears Prada, Grease and Pulp Fiction all confirmed in the line-up along with a selection of the year’s most talked about films, including:

  • Oscar® contender The Prom starring Meryl Streep, James Cordon and Nicole Kidman;
  • Local Trans-Tasman comedies Baby Done featuring Rose Matafeo and Matthew Lewis and box-office hit Rams featuring Sam Neill and Michael Caton;
  • Netflix’s sci-fi drama Midnight Sky starring George Clooney;
  • Blumhouse’s horror comedy Freaky lead by Vince Vaughn;
  • American neo-Western drama Let Him Go starring Kevin Costner and Diane Lane;
  • Teen comedies Kajillionare and Barnaby Thompson’s Pixie;
  • Female-led dramas Dreamland starring Margot Robbie and Sigourney Weaver starrer, My Salinger Year
  • Festival darling, The Furnace, starring David Wenham;
  • The action-packed Honest Thief, starring Liam Neeson;
  • Musical spectaculars The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart and Spike Lee’s David Byrne’s American Utopia; and
  • The sensational drama based on true events, Misbehaviour, featuring Keira Knightly and Jessie Buckley.

To ensure guests have a safe and relaxing experience, this year’s Westpac OpenAir will include physically-distanced director and deck chair seating in place of a grandstand, plus there’ll be hand-sanitiser stations, increased cleaning measures and contactless payment — with online bookings only. For more Covid-safe measures please see here.

The reimagined Covid-safe alfresco seating will be complemented by ready-to-collect gourmet picnic hampers curated by the award-winning Kitchen by Mike restaurant from acclaimed chef, Mike McEnearney.

Tickets will go on sale at 9am AEDT, 10 December via Ticketmaster, with an exclusive pre-sale for Westpac customers running from 9AM 8 December – 5PM 9 December.

You can stay up to date with announcements by following Westpac OpenAir on Facebook and Instagram or sign up for the event newsletter here.

#WorldsMostBeautifulCinema

Featured image: Westpac Openair Cinema. Pic by Fiona Sacco